Waves come and go. 1998 saw the dawn of Jeb Bush. 2000 saw the election of George W. Bush as president. Florida had a role in both. 2002 and 2006 weren't exactly banner years for Florida Democrats, although some like Ron Klein and Alex Sink took seats held by Republicans.

2008 saw the Democrats win big. Two years later, the other side came back strong.

I'm not one of those I-hope-the-other-side-fails kind of pundit. There's too much at stake. Still, it's not like Republicans have any new ideas beyond the one-trick pony of less taxes, smaller government. They'll have a chance to surprise in 2011.

Note:Douglas C. Lyons covers the state capitol for the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board. The views posted here are his and may be used to help shape the institutional position of the paper. You can post any responses here or contact Mr. Lyons directly at dlyons@sun-sentinel.com.